In a future society where literature is outlawed, Guy Montag pridefully carried out his job of incinerating homes with books hidden inside, without even thinking about what could be in them. However, one day, Montag encountered a young woman named Clarisse McClellan, who changed his mind about everything. Not only did Clarisse cause Montag to open his eyes to the world, she also caused Montag to pay more attention to other people’s emotions, and made him realize how reprehensible his job as a fireman is. First, as Montag pondered about what Clarisse had told him during their conversation, he began to open his eyes to the world, and he saw the flaws and corruptions in his society. Where Montag lives, individualism is against the law. Anyone who is different from everyone else is considered to be dangerous. As Clarisse pointed out, even someone walking down the street alone was thought to be odd. Instead of reading books, people spend their time mindlessly watching television, in the belief that it will bring them happiness. …show more content…
People go through life in a very fast pace, giving them no time to think about or feel the world around them. This is what the government wants, because then it is easier to control the citizens. In addition, violence and suicide are very common in the society because people do not understand real emotions. At this point, Montag realized that change must occur in his society because the current society is debauched. After he became aware of the truth of the world around him, Montag initiated to pay more attention to other people’s emotions.
For example, Montag’s relationship with his wife Mildred reciprocated drastically. He realized that Mildred thought of the people on television as more of a family to her than her own husband. Mildred is unwilling to deal with reality and instead chooses to deal with the virtual world. Also, Montag saw the emotions in the old woman whose house he and the other firemen were burning when she died with her books because she loved them with her life. Even after the firemen tried their best to escort the woman out of the building, she refused and vowed to stay put. Montag was the only one who tried to help the woman; he protested against the idea of leaving her in the house and offered to the woman to come with him out of the house. Before meeting Clarisse, Montag would not have cared or even noticed such a
thing. Finally, Montag realized how depraved his job as a fireman is. Firemen scorch books into ashes, yet they never even consider what could be inside the books. They just go along with society and the government, convinced that books bring melancholy to people and are inconsequential to read. However, due to Clarisse, Montag began to read and apprehend some books that he ransacked, and he recognized the good in them. It wasn’t much longer before Montag metamorphosed into a reader and openly read books often. This caused him to reach out to Faber, who further affected Montag, and together, they planned a rebellion against the government. In conclusion, Montag started out as a fireman who relished his job of burning books, saying that it was “a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed.” His life was completely revolutionized when he met Clarisse, who challenged him with several questions that he struggled to answer. By the end of the story, Montag is a man who saw the corruption in his society after opening his eyes to the world, is noticeable of people’s real emotions, and loathes his job as a fireman, to the point where he relinquishes it. Without Clarisse McClellan’s influence on Montag, his new life would have never prevailed and he would have been blinded, just like the rest of his society.
The first event that results in Montag becoming a dynamic character is his conversations with Clarisse McClellan. She is seventeen, and people consider her insane and anti-social. She is considered anti-social, because she is talkative and expressive. In Bradbury’s made up world, the meaning of social is staring at the parlor walls (large TV screens), and having no thought at all. Clarisse is very different from the rest: “I rarely watch the ‘parlor walls’ or go to races or Fun Parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess. Have you seen the two-hundred-foot-long billboards in the country beyond town? Did you know that once the billboards were only twenty feet long? But cars started rushing by so quickly they even had to stretch the advertising out so it would last” (pg.7).Clarisse’s enthusiastic and cheerful disposition lightens Montag’s attitude, making him a more optimistic person. He is not so closed-minded anymore, and he learns to be himself, and sometimes care free. Montag learns to see the brighter side of things and believe in him...
The novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury is a novel about a fireman named, Guy Montag, who is living in a time where there is a war going on. Montag’s occupation is to burn houses that contain books inside them. In the beginning of the novel, Montag has never questioned anything in his life that is until he meets a young girl named Clarisse who sparks something inside him to have a different perspective on his life and society. With all the changes happening to Montag in the book, the novel is primarily about the rebirth of a repressed society.
Through Montag's conversations with Clarisse, I have learned that sometimes the simplest exchange of words and ideas can leave the greatest mark on a person. Clarisse is the light that wipes away the haze and fog from Montag's life. Without knowing it, she influenced him to clearly evaluate his life, beliefs, and choices. Montag simply went about his business during his prominent position as a fireman. Yet after meeting Clarisse, he began to question his thoughts in ways he has never thought to before. He at first laughs at her controversial questions and thoughts from reading books, to practicing the act of "watching people." The turning point for Montag from his past ways was simply a three letter phrase, "Are you happy?" (Pg 10)
At the start of the book, Montag boasts the personality of a saturnine, antiheroic protagonist who only cares about pleasure and work. Montag is a “fireman” that incinerates works of literature as a
When Montag meets Clarisse, his neighbor, he starts to notice that there is more to life than burning books. Montag states, “Last night I thought about all the kerosene I have used in the past ten years. And I thought about books. And for the first time I realized that a man was behind each one of those books” (Bradbury 49). It begins to bother Montag that all he has done for the past years is burn books. He starts to rethink his whole life, and how he has been living it. Montag goes on to say, “It took some men a lifetime maybe to put some of his thoughts down, looking around at the world and life and then I come along in two minutes and boom! It is all over” (Bradbury 49) Before, Montag never cares about what he has been doing to the books, but when he begins to ignore the distractions and really think about life he starts to notice that he has been destroying some other mans work. Montag begins to think more of the world
Montag finds himself starting to grow fascinated with Clarisse and her eccentric idea’s. He hopes that when he gets off work ...
In Montag’s society, everyone is the same, and no one questions anything that is happening around them. Clarisse, a girl who questions the way their society works, tells Montag, ‘“They
This passage talks about Montag realizing the the deep crevice in his relationship with Mildred. Emphasizing the theme of broken relationships through technology. MIldred being so vastly embraced within her parlor she forgot who her real family is, Montag. Her husband bound by oath, and MIldred left him for imaginary people televised on the walls of the room. Technology has overtaken the once loving and special bond between husband and wife, and Bradbury spends no time seeking the
Within the many layers of Montag lay several opposite sides. For example, Montag is a fireman who burns books for a living but at home, spends time reading novels, poetry, and other written material. Although Montag could be called a hypocrite, he does not enjoy both the reading and the burning at the same time; he goes through a change that causes him to love books. Humans have the power to change and grow from one extreme to another, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse. In addition, when Mildred is with Montag, Montag does not have feelings for her but thinks of her as she is killed by the bombs. He possesses both the knowledge that Mildred does not love him and the heart that truly cares, but he knows not how to deal with this. His feelings are oppressed; it takes a major event (the bomb) to jolt them from hibernation.
But the beginning is not that good like Montag burning books and houses, and his wife only cares about her tv’s and listens to her seashells,and i picked that because of the fact is that no matter what montag does she only cares about the tv’s. But the middle and the end was good like the part where he makes his wifes friend cry about all her husbands killing themselves and her children hating her guts not only that all of her abortions,and that's why is chose that scene because of what she does and about what she lives like and says that only her husband is going to live and puts her children in a room so shy don't have to deal with them so she don’t care about children. then montag burns captain Beatty after he burns his house and after
After reading the “Afterword to the Novel”, I have a better idea of where Ray Bradbury was coming from when he wrote Fahrenheit 451. Reading about his writing process as well as how his own views shifted somewhat over the years was very interesting. I feel more connected to the book and the characters now that I have insight from the author himself. In the “Afterword to the Novel”, Bradbury explains his start as a writer and how his thoughts evolved since the publication of his stimulating and thought-provoking novel, Fahrenheit 451. I found that reading the “Afterword to the Novel” shed some light on the unanswered questions I had about the book, specifically about Clarisse and Captain Beatty. Bradbury decided to write a “two-act dramatization”
A famous inventor, Nikola Tesla once said, “With ideas it is like with dizzy heights you climb: At first they cause you discomfort and you are anxious to get down, distrustful of your own powers; but soon the remoteness of the turmoil of life and the inspiring influence of the altitude calm your blood; your step gets firm and sure and you begin to look - for dizzier heights”. In other words, he is saying the influences of a new idea will cause unease, and self-doubt first in a person. After contemplating about it, one will slowly become more confident in their goal, and strive for it. People can have great influences and impacts on others. This applies to the people who influence Guy Montag, the main character, in the novel Fahrenheit 451, By Ray Bradbury. Montag’s overall goal, is to bring books back to society, since books are illegal. In the beginning of the novel, Montag wasn’t like this and he thought burning books was the solution. His neighbor Clarisse provoked it. His friend Faber supported it. His acquaintance Granger helped carry it out. Those are the characters who helped influence his goal positively.
“We determine our destiny by the actions we take today.”- Catherine Pulsifer. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions assemble; thereupon, he assumes all people simply do not sit back and ponder about life and why it is this way. Clarisse; however, is showing Montag that being different and thinking is not bad. When Montag pilfers a book, Officer Beatty visits Montag’s home, he is telling Montag about how books became illegal, specifically, how it all started. Possessing an own opinion on entity, or even contemplating about how the nation is a gallant and colossal action in Montag's society; moreover, it is unheard of and rebellious.
Infact he does not even recollect the first time they met or falling in love with her. The moment he realizes how ignorant he has become is when he is told he is “not in love with anyone”(22). For the first time, Montag commences to apprehend that there is more to life than what he has. The moment Clarisse McClellan strikes him with these words, he realizes that his love for his wife is dead and that they barely even spend time together. She watches her television; he goes to work, and this repetitive routine caused the death of their relationship.In an ignorant society people do not understand what, love, happyness and to be independent, without the government controlling their each moves and emotions, feels like. Whereas knowledge helps them understand these things as it gives them new ideas and resources to figure out how to be powerful, happy and independent
Montag is influenced by Clarisse a lot. And, her impact on him is tremendous. She questions his whole life, teaches him to appreciate the simple things, and to care about other people and their feelings. “You're peculiar, you're aggravating, yet you're easy to forgive..”(Bradbury 23) Through all Clarisse's questioning, Montag knows that she is trying to help him. Because of her help and impact on him, Montag is changed forever.